I was born and i am living in Genoa, i make pesto weekly... and I approve your pesto! :) However, you should try to find the smallest basil leaves you can. Large leaves make for a dark green color and a stronger, overwhelming flavour, while small basil leaves make for the bright right green and a more garlic-y flavour (and pesto is first and foremost garlic sauce). The reason why they told you basil should be blooming is that our basil has leaves that are a quarter/ an eight the size of that used in the video even during blooming season, but I believe for varieties other than Prè Basil I would just suggest to use a younger plant. Also, if your pecorino is too savoury, try mixing parmesan and pecorino, that's how we do it here when the good pecorino is somehow not available :)
edoardoagosti
1am, I have an exam tomorrow... I'm watching chef John make pesto
julienparis
There once was a Vlog called Food Wishes
that taught people how to cook dishes.
With mortar and pestle
the Basil he'd wrestle,
the paste making sounds like green squishes.
SuzanneBaruch
"A little bit of bud doesn't hurt"
Couldn't have said it better myself, Chef John.
driftspecs
I knew I bought that mortar and pestle for a good reason! Basil is growing in my yard. Time to try this out!
lisaboban
"this pesto is the truth and not everyone can handle the truth." lmaoXD
gcombes
" a little bit of bud doesn't hurt" truer words have never been said, chef
jspring
Between chef John's enormous hands and tiny spoons, I'm always confused about the scale of the food he prepares. But I love all his recipes, esp. the Italian stuff!
johngerardi
Hey Chef John!
I agree with you about the extra olive oil on the top of the finished product. It does oxidize quickly and the oil will help with slowing the process. Also, if I'm making a small enough batch to keep in the fridge for a couple of days, I've had great results placing a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the sauce to keep it from oxidizing just as you would with a custard to prevent a skin from forming. It works perfectly. I've also had success with freezing a larger batch into smaller portions to save for later if I can't use the whole batch within a few days.
gulfsidestudios
the way he speaks is fucking with my brain lol
jemadamson
What kind of monster do you have to be to dislike Chef John's videos?
ttrenchmiranda
I just bought a big stone mortar and pestle and now I know what the first thing I'm making with it. That looks soooo good!
michaeljdauben
"Not everyone can handle the truth"
Chef John coming at you with the kitchen wisdom.
JoseRamirez-ksnv
I'm throwing this on some pizza crust with artichoke hearts, onions, olives, tomatoes, spinach, and red peppers. In the words of Chandler Bing, can it BE any better than this?
Phyreflyte
This video is the Besto & better than the restO!
road_king_dude
Okay. I just found this channel somewhere around a month ago. Like... I don't even remember what my life was like before these videos. Don't you ever leave me.
Orcael
I would argue that there is no such thing as 'real pesto'. I read a fascinating piece on pesto a couple of years ago, and one thing that really stood out was a quote from a guy who lives in Genoa and is very serious about his pesto. He simply said, "Pesto is the way you make pesto". You have your pesto rosso, pesto trapanese, pesto genovese, and thousands of other variations. Keep on making delicious pastes, and keep on calling them pesto. Obsession with 'authenticity' stifles innovation. As I frequently say, "If it makes your nonna cry, that's alright with me."
nitrog
I just recently watched your aioli video. When I saw the thumbnail, I was thinking, "Can pesto be considered an aioli with other stuff added? Nah, because pesto is made in the food processor whereas..."
And then Chef John breaks out the mortar and pestle. Perfect timing. So I guess maybe some people might feel that it _could_ be considered a modified aioli, but other people might feel that those people spend too much time thinking about that stuff.
Also, I started growing my own basil a few weeks ago, and I've found that the store bought stuff really can't compare. It's amazing.
tom_something
Its my birthday and instead of enjoying my birthday I am watching chef john real recipe....
PANTOPLATE
My first memory of pesto was having it over a friend's house in junior high, I think she was out of pasta so we ate it on ramen noodles 😂 - I loved it ! And I've loved it ever since. My food wish would be to have an herb garden of my own like Chef John, hubby says our budget is a little tight right now to buy all the things but as soon as we can I really want to do one ☺️☺️
